As a man who has won the SEC multiple times as a head coach and as an assistant, Kirby Smart might know a thing or two about what it takes to win college football's wildest and craziest league. For years, it has been all about having more good players at key positions of physicality. Usually, the teams with the best defensive lines, defensive backfields, quarterbacks and running backs win out.
That being said, Smart seems to have recognized a new wrinkle to be exploited within the context of a game. At this juncture, it is all about offensive line play. Over the years, this has been an underrated strength for Georgia, but this year's crop of big uglies are nothing to write home about. Matt DeBary did a fantastic job of explaining the inner workings of this particular position group for Dawg Post.
Whether it is Earnest Greene III, Juan Gaston, Dontrell Glover or Bo Hughley, can they get it done?
Kirby Smart expects for his offensive line to step up in the coming weeks
Smart actually went there by saying Georgia's offensive line needs "to grow up" to become a menace.
“They have to grow up. We have to play better across the offensive line. It's not just one side or the other. I think when you look across college football, I tune in and watch games on Saturday, there's nobody I'm going, man, that's a dominant offensive line right there, they're just running up and down the field on this SEC defense. It doesn't happen."
This was to prove his bigger point that the team with the best offensive line might win the league now.
"I mean, you don't see scores that are really high scoring. You see really good defensive personnel. You see tough road games. It's not going to be any different in ours. Every team in the SEC is trying to get their offensive line better or as close to right as you can get it. We'll be trying to do the same, trying to create depth and competition and grow guys in those areas.”
Here is everything Smart said during Monday's weekly press conference ahead of the Alabama game.
With every team having a great pass rush and quarterback, offensive lines will make all the difference.
Does Georgia have what it takes in the trenches to win the SEC again?
While this team has time on its side for its weakest unit to come together, Georgia may have to win the SEC again in spite of its offensive line. Greene and Gaston offer a ton of promise, but neither have been reliable. Glover and Hughley may have to embrace larger roles. Fate would have it that the unit's best player is center Drew Bobo, who just so happens to be offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's son...
The good news is Georgia has an abundance of talent all over the gridiron, especially on offense. Gunner Stockton is a strong dual-threat playmaker at quarterback. His backup in Ryan Puglisi can really sling it. Across the board, Georgia is built to win games deep into this season because of the plethora of weapons it has in its arsenal at running back, tight end and over at wide receiver as well.
Ultimately, Georgia may have to ride out the wave with the up-and-down nature of its offensive line. There will be games where it can dictate terms. Conversely, there may be games where Stockton is running for his life like Jackson Arnold did for Auburn vs. his former team in Oklahoma. In the end, Stacy Searels' offensive line is this team's Achilles heel. Let's see if Smart can improve its bottleneck.
For now, Smart is doing the right thing by asking his weakest position group to level up its play.